Founding member and general partner of the Pinnacle Fund, a multi-manager investment limited partnership. Subsequent to the acquisition of Pinnacle, formed Highland Partners LLC and in 1998, served as the managing general partner of The Highlander Fund and the Highlander Opportunity Fund LP

BS, Administration, University of Florida

David Schassler

Joined Van Eck in 2012

Serves as Director of Manager Research and Investment Committee Member for Van Eck's multi-manager alternatives strategies; responsible for the manager search and selection of alternative investment strategies

Earlier career positions include Director and Portfolio Manager within the UBS Portfolio Strategy Group, responsible for a multi-manager portfolio of assets for domestic-based clients. Also held roles at Oppenheimer & Co. and Georgeson Inc.

Developed the True Alpha® rating and ranking methodology, patented in April 2010

In the 10 years prior to joining Van Eck, managed fund of hedge fund portfolios at Lyster Watson & Co. in New York

Co-founded Deutsche Bank’s Franchise Finance Group in 1996 and developed proprietary fixed income pricing models and structured commercial mortgage transactions

Spent early career years running Salomon Brothers NY trading desk for U.S. Government zero coupon bonds (CATS® and STRIPS®), creating and managing Salomon’s UK Gilt trading desk in London, and managing the European government bond trading desk of Morgan Grenfell in London

Prior to joining Van Eck, he worked at Lyster Watson & Co. where he was a quantitative analyst and responsible for the computation and production of the hedge fund strategy indices and maintained and developed the models associated with a series of long/short equity investment strategies

Previously, while at American Express, he held a quantitative role in risk management, developing acquisition risk and profitability decisioning

MSc, in Econometrics, London School of Economics, (2003); BA & MA in Economics, Boston University, (2001)